US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have 'both signed off' on the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza.
'This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The announcement comes after three days of indirect talks in Egypt - mediated by officials from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the US - aimed at bringing an end to the two-year conflict. Both Israel and Hamas also confirmed an agreement had been reached.
However, Trump's post did not provide clarity on other known sticking points in negotiations - notably the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza.
In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a 'great day', adding that he would 'convene the government tomorrow to ratify the agreement and bring all of our precious hostages home'.
Hamas confirmed that the agreement included an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a hostage-prisoner exchange. The group also called on Trump, the guarantor countries and other Arab states to compel Israel 'to fully implement the agreement's requirements'.
A senior White House official told CBS, the BBC's US news partner, that 'our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday'.
Earlier on Wednesday, expectations that a deal could be imminent were heightened after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered an event with Trump and handed him a note.
Trump said that note informed him that 'we are very close to a deal'.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reported the lowest death toll in a week, while Israeli military actions have continued in response to previous attacks. The announcement comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, with malnutrition rates rising amidst ongoing military operations.
